Give It Up For Idaho Gives Day: $1,079,656

Follow the success at idahogives.razoo.com

The 2015 edition of Idaho Gives entered the million dollar club as officials with the Idaho Nonprofit Center celebrated the finale of the 24 hour give-a-thon with the announcement that more than 8,900 unique donors had contributed $1,079,656 to Idaho charities in 15,387 unique donations.

The leaders in the Idaho Gives "scoreboards," tallying the unique donors among small, medium and large nonprofits were: The Washington, Idaho & Montana Railway History Preservation Group (small), Boise Bicycle Project (medium) and the Idaho Humane Society (large). The top ten charities in each category will receive bonus money.

Additionally, more than three dozen "golden tickets" were awarded to nonprofits when the names of randomly drawn, triggering bonus money for the donor's charity.

UPDATE: May 7, 2015 5 p.m.

With seven hours left to go for the 2014 edition of Idaho Gives, officials with the Idaho Nonprofit Center announced just before 5 p.m. Thursday that this year's give-a-thon had already topped 2014's total tally.

“The generosity of Idahoans thus far has been tremendous,” said Janice Fulkerson, Executive Director of the center.

As of 5 p.m. Mountain Time, more than 6,300 unique donors had donated more than $800,000 to Idaho charities.

UPDATE: May 7, 2014 3 P.M.

With over 5,700 unique donors pledging more than $700,000 to Idaho nonprofits, the 2014 edition of Idaho Gives was preparing to head into the home stretch Thursday afternoon with a robust competition for bonus dollars for Gem State charities - either in the form of so-called "golden tickets" which are awarded by random drawings of donor names, or substantial cash prizes for nonprofits who score high in the number of unique donors.

So far, $1,000 golden tickets have been awarded to the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley, the Idaho Conservation League (twice) the Boise-based Ride for Joy Therapeutic Riding Program, McCall-based McPaws, Moscow-based Heart of the Arts, the Idaho Network of Children's Advocacy Centers and the Idaho Zoological Society. Additional regional golden tickets have also been awarded to several nonprofits including Girls on the Run and the Pride Foundation.

In the overall competition for unique donors, the Idaho Humane Society was leading the pack of large nonprofits with 281 unique donors; the Boise Bicycle Project led the medium nonprofit group with 219 unique donors; and in a very tight race among small nonprofits, Boise Bully Breed Rescue and the Washington/Idaho/Montana Railway History Preservation Group were heading for a very close finish in attracting unique donors.

The giving, and the competition, continues until midnight in both the Mountain and Western time zones.

UPDATE: Maty 7, 2015 Noon

At Noon, and with Idaho Gives Day officially half-over, an impressive 4,300 unique donors had pumped more than $540,000 to Gem State charities.

Golden tickets prizes, each worth $1,000, had already been awarded to the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley, the Moscow-based Heart of the Arts, the Idaho Conservation League (twice), McPaws (from McCall) and the Boise-based Ride for Joy Therapeutic Riding Program.

ORIGINAL POST: May 7, 2015 9 A.M.

Golden tickets, bonus prizes, and a seemingly endless well of good will—it must be Idaho Gives Day.

By mid-morning, more than 2,900 unique donors had poured in more than $370,000 to Idaho nonprofits in every corner of the state.

Scores of Treasure Valley events will showcase nonprofits throughout the day, including two high-profile stages: the offices of Tiger Prop in the 800 block of Main Street and at Grind Modern Burger on Fulton Street. That's where Ballet Idaho, Boise Contemporary Theater, the Boise Bicycle Project, The Cabin, Giraffe Laugh and more than a dozen other nonprofits will have the opportunity to "tell their story."

In conjunction with Idaho Gives Day, one of the state's newest nonprofits, Boise Greenbike, is offering free rides today. Operators have posted a promo code and instructions to secure a free hour of ride-time, It's a great opportunity to try out the new service which has been rolled out throughout Boise's downtown.

"When we have the opportunity to talk about the value of what the arts brings to our community, we embrace that moment," Dwayne Blackaller told Boise Weekly for this week's issue. "It's all about telling a story."

So-called "golden tickets" are being drawn over the course of the day, randomly selecting names of donors who have stepped up to support the nonprofit of their choice. The golden tickets pump more cash toward that nonprofit and by mid-morning, the Idaho Conservation league has been lucky enough to secure two golden tickets, worth $1,000 each. Additionally, Girls on the Run, a Treasure Valley afterschool program for girls ages 8-11, also won a golden ticket this morning.

Nonprofits are keeping a very close eye on "scoreboards," tracking unique donations to each charity. At the end of the 24-hour give-a-thon, the top 10 nonprofits in small, medium and large categories will also be given cash prizes.